Manchester City Are The New Owners of A-League Team Melbourne Heart: Nightly Soccer Report

Manchester City surprised many tonight when they announced that they, along with a consortium that are the owners of rugby team Melbourne Storm, have acquired Australian soccer team Melbourne Heart. City’s move to buy the club has been already approved by the Football Federation of Australia (FFA), and it immediately gives Manchester City a presence down under as they seek to expand their global brand.

In addition to the Melbourne Heart of the A-League, City is a part-owner of New York City FC, which will begin playing in Major League Soccer in the United States in 2015.

“Manchester City and their partners will bring a high level of expertise in football and sports business matters and that can only strengthen the Melbourne Heart and the Hyundai A-League as a whole,” said FFA CEO David Gallop.

In a statement by Manchester City on its club website, the club said that “out of respect for the coaching staff and the players in the middle of the A-League season, the new ownership group will not be making any major announcements until mid-2014.”

The Nightly Soccer Report is tomorrow’s news today. It’s often tomorrow morning’s worldwide newspaper headlines that are published the night before. We do all the work for you, combing the Internet and aggregating the news for you. Read The Nightly Soccer Report on World Soccer Talk every night before bed, so you can stay on top of all the news that matters.

About Christopher Harris

Founder and publisher of World Soccer Talk, Christopher Harris is the managing editor of the site. He has been interviewed by The New York Times, The Guardian and several other publications. Plus he has made appearances on NPR, BBC World, CBC, BBC Five Live, talkSPORT and beIN SPORT.
Harris, who has lived in Florida since 1984, has supported Swansea City since 1979. He's also an expert on soccer in South Florida, and got engaged during half-time of a MLS game.
Harris launched EPL Talk in 2005, which was rebranded as World Soccer Talk in 2013.
View all posts by Christopher Harris →

7 Responses to Manchester City Are The New Owners of A-League Team Melbourne Heart: Nightly Soccer Report